St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-03-17
sNOwBOUND IN VERMONT.
Experience of n Woman Who Went Wis.,
iting from Johnson.
Correspondence Boston Journal.

Experience of Woman Who Went Wis.,
iting from Johnson.
Correspondence Boston Journal.
Snow Did you say snow2 My I'M
sophisticated Southern friend, if you
wish to see snow, snow drifts, snow
HILLS, snow MOUNTAINS, come to
northern Vermont and go with me over
the Vermont division of the Boston 81
Lowell railroad. Why are there so
few fences in this white landscape, and
those 80 very lOwP Why are the trees
so hOrt-stemmed, and the houses so
apparently sunk into the earth to the
window stills, or above them? The
one answer is-snOw. Snow enough
to furnish us the traditional "six
weeks of shedding in March,"
On each side of the track it is piled
high, often higher than the car win
dOws, or even the top of the cars. One
result is inevitable. If more snow
comes, or blow, these deep cuts must
fill in, and then for Il blockade
We opened our eyes in the morning
to- IL binding, driving snow storm a
regular northeastern, thick and cOntin-
uOus, and in those exasperatingly fine
flakes which foretell severe storm.
Yet no doubt arose in our mind that
we could return home that day, and at
the regular time for the Afternoon train
we went trustingly to the depot
through the still driving storm.
"HOw long before the train will be
here 7" we asked at the ticket office.
"Hasn't reached Fabyan's yet"
"That means how late ~
San hour and u half perhaps"
Oh, well, worse things might happen
so we resigned ourselves to wait. 9th
ers were waiting and others still kept
coming to wait, men young and old,
ladies old and young, women with ba
bies, tired women, sick babies, cross
babies-waiting is hard for them.
From time to time we took turns in
asking that long suffering telegraph
operator as to the whereabouts of our
coming train. The allotted time kept
lengthening. "rwO hours" "Two
and a half" "Three hours" Then
the telegraph told US the train was
"stalled" int he snow fifteen miles east.
A wrecktrai went to their assistance,
we telegraphed our waiting friends at
home that we would come tomorrow,
and returned to the hOspitable roof,
where we had been sheltered.
Did the wind blow that night
Didn't it blow How all that mass of
new, light snow was picked up and
tossed about and carried hither and
thither, piled and drifted with a reck-
less disregard of consequences. So,
instead of the hack which was to take
us to the early train in the morning,
there came telephone message, "All
trains cancelled to-day but mail trains"
By noon the wind where we were
had tired out and gone to sleep, the
sun shOne warm and bright, and we
never dreamed that off on the nights
which we must cross the blasts still
blew and the snow still drifted, defy
ing all efforts of the shOvelers to clear
the track. 1t was no eXaggeratiOn
that there was one cut, 300 feet long,
where the snow was Is feet deep.
Before we could start the snow pillow
must go ahead and clear the way for
us, and so the time dragged on. Not
till after p. NJ. was our train annOun-
ced; but didn't the CAL aboard - sound
like music to our ears
Two engines with pillow were
ahead of us, and it was not safe for us
to leave any station till we heard from
ure we all get stuck at some inaccessi
BILE point.
We started gleefully, we ran slowly,
but safely, for just forty minutes, then
whish-h-h! we were fast in a snow
bank The snowplow was not high
enough to throw the snow over out
side the banks, and it had rolled back
into the track. Forty minutes of
shoveling, then with fearful jerks and
much backing and putting we started
again. So we felt our way along, from
one station to another, waiting at each
To hear of the snOw-plOw ut the next.
Half past ten. We are waiting for
telegram, when Ii brakeman comes
putting back instead. "SnOw pillow off
the track mile ahead one engine
smashed ; can go no further tonight !"
A wall OF disappointment goes up from
the grown-up babies-the small ones
ut the station, the houses are few, and
everybody already abed, but Park
hurst, the prince of conductors, is
equal to the emergency. He circulates
about the neigh bOrhOOd, wakes the in
habitants, makes drafts on their hos
pitality to keep twenty five or thirty
travellers, and comes to escort us to
stopping places. With Il baby in his
/ arms he leads the way, and a process
sion of females follow in his rear, In
dian file, stepping in each others
tracks, over huge SNOW drifts, where we
wade and wallow, till the warm farm
house sitting room which receives us
SCENES vertable ark of refuge.
After breakfast we go to the station.
The disabled engine has been brought
up and finally we get away and reach
our destination after having been
twenty hours in making n three-hour
journey.